Hopper and driving mechanism



Dec. 17, 1929. F. R. WHITE 1,739,996

HOPPER AND DRIVING MECHANISM Filed June 11, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 5 770I7k/in 71 White Dec. 17, 1929. F. R. WHITE 1,739,996

HOPPER AND muvme MECHANISM Filed June 11. 1928 2 Sheets- -Sheet 2' INVENTOR.

Hank/in 7?. WM be A TTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANKLIN R. WHITE, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE PATENT BUTTON COMPANY, OF WATER/BURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT HOPPER AND DRIVING MECHANISM Application filed June 11, 1928.

mounting, and its driving mechanism, which i is such as to permit of a slippage in the driving connection in case the buttons or other articles in the hopper become jammed, and at the same time, the construction is such as to permitof readily detaching the hoppcr,

and for this purpose the drive mechanism, involving the slip connection, is arranged to in no way encumber or interfere with the removal or replacement of the hopper. It is to be understood that hoppers need to be removed occasionally so that the contents may be discharged when necessary; so that the hopper may be cleaned inside; and/or in order to effect a change in the sorter ring of the hopper when a button or button part of different proportions are to be fed by the hopper.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken through the hopper construction showing the several parts of the driving mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a plan of the lower side of the support showing the ratchet drive.

Fig. 3 is a view of the hopper taken substantially on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44- of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail of the sleeve in the driving mechanism.

In these drawings the hopper base or support is shown at 1, and journaled in this supportis a stud 2 having a collar 3 which bears against the support. On the opposite side of the support from the collar 3, the stud has a reduced end 4 which is threaded and upon which is secured a ratchet driving wheel 5, as by means of nut 6. Interposed between the ratchet wheel and the base 1, is a driving plate 10 which carries a pawl for cooperation with the ratchet wheel.

This driving plate is rotatably mounted 1 contact with the end of the sleeve.

Serial No. 284,439.

freely moved upon the stud the ratchet wheel may abut against the shoulder next adjacent the reduced end of the stud, with the plate rotatably mounted upon the adjacent large portion of the stud. Thus, when the ratchet wheel is tightly in place, the plate 10 is not bound between the ratchet wheel and base.

This plate is provided with a connection for effecting a rocking movement on the stud, and for this purpose a bifurcated stud 11 is swiveled to the plate, to which a rod 12 is attached. The'opposite end of this rod 12 is connected to a suitable crank or other device (not shown) for rocking the pawl-carrying plate 10 upon the stud.

This plate carries a pawl 14 pivoted at 15,

and the pawl is caused to engage the ratchet by means of a spring 16 having its ends connected, respectively, to the pawl, as at 17, and to a fixed stud 18 on the pawl plate. It will be understood that in the operation of this,

mechanism the rod 12 rocks the plate, and the pawl and ratchet wheel construction rotates the stud 2 with a step by step movement.

On the opposite side of the support there is a sleeve 20 rotatably fitting over the stud and provided with a circumferential groove 21. The adjacent end of the stud is of reduced size and is screw threaded, as at 22, and the stud is provided with a key-way 23. A frict-ion or slip drive between the stud and the sleeve is had by means of a washer 25 of leather or other suitable friction material or fabric, which is placed over the stud and in Next adjacent to this friction washer is a metal washer 26 having a key 27 which fits into the key-way 23. The parts are held in assembled relation by means of a nut 28 screwed onto the end 22 of the stud, with a spring 29 interposed between the head of the nut and the metal washer. This nut 28 preferably has a tubular-like extension 30 for centering the spring.

It will be seen by this construction that as the stud is rotated in its step by step movement, the metal washer 26 is likewise ro tated, and the sleeve 20 is rotated by reason of the friction washer and the metal washer the well known manner.

videdwith a latch 34-,pivoted as at135,,nand' l acted upont-bya suitable spring;,36.- The;-

i piece or finger piece for movingthelatchon 1 its pivot.

being packed against the end of the sleeve by the action of the spring.

The hopper per se is referenced 31, and the same 15 provided with a sorter ring c0nstruction 32, which cooperates with a suitably shaped edge portion 330i the'base forvfeeding buttons or other contents from the hopper in The hopper: is prohub otthe hopper is cut out, as at 37, through which one part of the latch projects, theother:

part of the latch, as at 38, affording a thumb The hub of: thehopper hasan openingof'a size to nicely fit over the--sleeve 2O,iand in this respect it willibenotedithat the friction:wash-- erg-the spring, and nut: upon the adj acent 'end of the'studla're not largen than :the hollow hub.

' Accordingly,1thehub can he slipped overthe i eitherdirection;

end of: the zstudiwitli the spring; the washers, and the .nut,assembledlon the stud; In placing the hopper over the sleevethe thumb piece of thelatQhS L-is depressed, and when the hoppenis in place the same is: released; whereupon-the spring 3fi sw-ings the latch so that the-latchfits-into-the groove 21 in the sleeve. This holds the hopper onthesleeve and stud against longitudinal movement-in The hopper can be=eas-ily removed by depressing the thumb =pieceof the latch and withdrawingthe same.

. A conneotion-is established between the hopper and the studiso that the l-iOIJPGP'IOtELtGSf with the's-t-ud, and in order to -tahe advantage of the friction orslipdrive the hopper is indirectly connected to thestud through the means otr' the, sleeve. For this" purposethe sleeve is provided with a driving boss or abut ment 4:0 which may be in the form-ofa small screw threaded to the sleeve, preferably nearthe supporting base. The-hub of the; hopper I isnotched, as at 4:1", in either of'lwliich the drivingabutment: is received when the hopper is placed 'over the sleeve, Prefer-ably,

I two oppositely disposed notches aneprovid'ed so that when attaching-the hopper itwi'll: not.

be necessary to rotate-the samemore-th'an 180 with respect to the sleeve-i11 order to align a notch w-ith'the-driving boss. However', only'one'drivingbossis necessary, and it may beengaged with'either notch:

It w-ill thus be seen that as the st-ud is'p osi-- t-ively rotated, thesleeveis rotatedby. theslip connection, and the hopper is locked: to the sleeve by; means of b08840; and a, notchyiil. In case; anything jams, as for instancethe jamming" of the contents of" the hopper, the

slippage occurs at the fiber washer, so that the hopper is not rotated, as otherwise there may be breakage: ofthe-parts; Atthe same time the hopper can bequickly removed for any purpose. Will'bG, noted thatzthe removing of the hopper does not interfere with the slip driving connection, and that the slip driving construction interferes in no way with the removal or replacement of the hopper. g The slip drive'construction and the meansftor detachably connecting the hopper to the drive ,are entirely independentlof each other.

As shown in Fig. 1, a button outlet device 42*is fixed-tolthe suppont This zoutletxdevice is in the shape of: a relatively deep flange partially surrounding the suppontrandten 'minating, in'an, outlet proper or chute 43. This flange is held stationary on the support andinterl'eres-in n'o'way with operation of the hopper, butit is extremelyadvantageous whenthewhopper -1s IBIlIOVBd W-l'HlG thereis a quantity of buttons or the i like in the hopper. For example, when the hopper is removed: the buttonswwould not remain outlie support,jwhich is relatively fiat-,but would fall oil the support, which is conventionally" angularly disposedi HoWever,--with thisbutton outlet; device the buttons are-- guideddownwardly by the flange portion-and dis-* changed out through the chuteioroutlet 43.

A: suitable receptacle (not shown) can beholdbelow-the outlet at thistime-to 'catchthe-but-- tons so that the are not discliar ed' overthe 'inaohiue and surroundingtable or; room;

Claims 1; hopper and drive-construction for-a button. attachin machineorthe like comprising a support, ast-udfj ournaledfin the; support, means for rotatingthe stud; ash-op} per, hopper driving means ttSSOClfllIQCl with;

the stud, a trictioir drivihg connection betwcenf'the stud" and; thismeans, and meansfor 'detachably securing the hopper to the-said driving means which 15 arranged toperrmt attaching and detaching of thehopper independently of the friction driving connection.

2. A hopper and driving constructioirfor a.

button attaching machine or the like,'con1- prising asupport,;a stud journaled in,thesu y port, means for. rotating the'stud, an element rotatably mounted on the stud, a friction driving connectionbetween the .stud and this element,.a hopper, and means for detachably mounting the hopper upon the stud by-connection with the said element, the ,arrangeing connection between the stud and sleeve,

a hopper: having-n hub adapted" to-fit over the sleeve, said hopper being placeable over.

the sleeve and removable therefrom independent ofthecinterference with the, friction driving' connection, and means fbr'detachably'seeffecting a friction drive between the stud and sleeve, and a hopper detachably secured to the sleeve in driving relation therewith.

5. A hopper and drive construction for a button attaching machine or the like, comprising a rotating hopper stud, a sleeve rotatably mounted over the stud, said sleeve being of less length than the stud, a friction washer placed over the stud and lying against one end of the sleeve, a second washer on the stud lying against the friction washer, means a connecting this second washer in driving relation with the stud, a spring for packing the washer against the end of the sleeve and effecting a friction drive between the stud and sleeve, and a hopper detaehably secured to the sleeve in driving relation therewith, said hopper having a hub which fits over the sleeve, and said washers and spring being of such a size as regards the hub as to permit the hopper to be attached or detached independently of interference with the said washers and spring.

6. A hopper and driving construction for a button attaching machine or the like comprising a rotating stud, a sleeve rotatably mounted upon the stud and being of less length than the stud, a friction washer abutting against the end of the sleeve, a second washer abutting against the friction washer, said second washer being keyed to the stud, a spring mounted over the end of the stud, one end of which engages the second named washer, a nut screw threaded on the end of the stud to pack the spring, the washers, and sleeve together, for establishing a friction drive connection between the stud and the sleeve, a hopper having a hub which fits over the sleeve, said hub being of such a size with regard to the washers, spring and nut as to readily pass over the same when being at-- tached and detached therefrom, and means detachably securing the hopper to the sleeve in positive driving relation.

7. In a button attaching machine or the like, a hopper construction comprising in combination, a hopper base disposed at an angle to the vertical having a peripherally disposed raised edge, a-hopper member rotatable with respect to the base adapted to hold a quantity of buttons or the like, said hopper member fitting within said raised edge and being removable, and means secured to the base for catching the buttons or the like which may fall from theangularly disposed base when said hopper is removed.

8. In a button attaching machine or the like, a hopper construction comprising in combination, a hopper base having a raised edge, a hopper member rotatable with respect to the base adapted to hold a quantity of buttons or the like, said hopper member fitting within said raised edge and being removable, and a flange-like device rising above said raised edge of the hopper base adapted to hold the buttons or the like on the base when the hopper is removed.

9. In a button attaching machine or the like, a hopper construction comprising in combination, a hopper base having a raised edge, a hopper member rotatable with respect to the base adapted to hold a quantity of buttons or the like, said hopper member fitting within said raised edge and being removable, and a flange-like device rising above said raised edge of the hopper base adapted to hold the buttons or the like on the base when the hopper is removed, said flange-like device having an outlet opening through which the buttons are discharged.

10. In a button attaching machine or the like, a hopper construction comprising in combination a base disposed at an angle to the vertical, a hopper member associated with the base adapted to hold buttons or the like which rest upon the base, said hopper being movable with respect to the base for feeding the buttons, means for detachably holding the hopper member in place, a flange-like device secured to the edge of the base and rising from the edge so that it extends from the base alongside the hopper, and a spout construction 1n the flange disposed substantially at the lowermost portion of the base, said flangelike device being adapted to catch the contents of the hopper when the same is removed, and discharge the contents through the spout construction.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

FRANKLIN R. WHITE. 

